#192 Being Woke - Being Asleep

‘Woke’-ness references the attempt to address perceived or real racial & gender inequality. But it is a political ideology of creating divisions and undertaking action based on temporary bodily labels/identities.   

From the spiritual perspective, the temporary bodily identities are false identities, and reinforcing these temporary and false identities can never be considered ‘well-informed' or 'aware' and can never deliver equality? It is like racing down the highway in a vehicle (the materialistic philosophy of bodily identity) appearing alert but factually being asleep at the wheel. This will only ever produce tribalism, which is foundational to inequality.  

A philosophy founded on bodily identity differences, or group identities, can never succeed in creating peace, harmony, love, and justice for all. So, how do we approach the subject of equality from a spiritual perspective?  

During the talk I used the following quotes: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” “I have a dream that one day down in Alabama … little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” - Martin Luther King  

“He is a perfect yogi who, by comparison to his own self, sees the true equality of all beings, in both their happiness and their distress, O Arjuna!” – Bhagavad-gita 6.32    

“The humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and the social outcaste.” - Bhagavad-gita 5.18   

“Thus knowing oneself to be transcendental to material senses, mind and intelligence, one should control the lower self by the higher self and thus--by spiritual strength--conquer this insatiable enemy known as lust.” - Bhagavad-gita 3:43 

“What is night for all beings is the time of awakening for the self-controlled; and the time of awakening for all beings is night for the introspective sage.” - Bhagavad-gita 2.69